Electrical connector manufacturers market various connectors which are suitable for being affixed about flat, non-metallic sheathed, multi-conductor cables without suffering the misalignment associated with the cylindrically-shaped connectors used with armored cables. One such connector is a five-piece connector having a cylindrically-shaped connector body with an annularly threaded portion disposed at one end thereof, the opposite end thereof being a body clamping portion having two threaded mounting holes, a lock nut cooperating with the threaded portion of the body to secure the connector to an outlet box, a cable clamp, and two screws used for securing the cable clamp to the body clamping portion. This conventional five-piece electrical connector is secured to the aforementioned outlet box by inserting the threaded portion of the connector body through a knockout disposed within the side wall of the outlet box and affixing the connector thereto by screwing the lock nut about the threaded portion of the connector body from inside of the outlet box. Thereafter, the cable is passed through the connector body and into the outlet box. The cable is then secured within the electrical connector by screwing the cable clamp to the body clamping portion such that the cable is securely disposed therebetween. The cable clamp and body clamping portion typically have relatively flat inner opposed surfaces which come into contact with the adjacent flat surfaces of the cable, thereby preventing the misalignment of the cable within the electrical connector. Unfortunately, the assembly of a five-piece electrical connector is expensive. Also the physical attachment of the electrical connector to the outlet box requires the electrician to spend a considerable amount of time to secure the connector to the outlet box. That is, the electrician must remove the lock nut from the connector body, insert the threaded portion of the connector body into the hole along the side wall of the outlet box, re-thread the lock nut about the threaded portion of the connector body while holding the connector body in a fixed position relative to the outlet box, insert the flat cable into the connector body, and secure the cable to the connector body by tightening the cable clamp with two screws.
This five-piece conventional electrical connector is costly to fabricate, assemble and install. Therefore, it would be most advantageous to develop an electrical connector which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and which is easily installed within an outlet box.
U.S. Pat. No. Des. 336,282 (Guginsky), which issued on Jun. 8, 1993, discloses a three-piece cylindrical electrical connector which can be manufactured from a single stamping and which is easily installed within most conventional electric outlet boxes. The electrical connectors disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 336,282, however, are more particularly suited for connecting a round-shaped armored cable to an outlet box. Additionally, the cylindrical connector includes an insulating stop disposed about the end of the connector which is adjacent to the outlet box so as to prevent the armored cable from entering the outlet box. The cylindrical cross-section of the electrical connector disclosed in DES. 336,282 is not suitable for use with flat, non-metallic sheathed, multi-conductor cables since it would permit such flat cables to move about and not provide a secure connection therebetween, and not allow the cable sheathing to project into the outlet box.
The present invention overcomes the disadvantages with regard to the above described cylindrical electrical connector. In particular, the rectangular or square box configuration of the electrical connector according to the present invention can also be fabricated from a single piece of material, while using far fewer progressive die stations than are required for cylindrically-shaped connectors. It also does not necessitate the use of the insulating stop, which substantially reduces the material cost of the connector. Moreover, the rectangular or square box configuration of the electrical connect according to the present invention provides a snug fit when a flat, metallic or non-metallic sheathed, multi-conductor cable is disposed therein, thereby avoiding the misalignment of the flat cable which normally occurs when using the conventional cylindrically-shaped connector.
When compared directly to conventional flat cable connectors, the rectangular or square box electrical connector of the present invention can be assembled from just three pieces (i.e., the connector body, saddle and saddle screw), and simply snap fit into the knockout disposed about the side wall of the outlet box without the need for a locking nut to secure it thereto. Moreover, the unique rectangular or square box configuration of the connector according to the present invention only requires the tightening of a single screw to insure that the cable is securely affixed between the saddle and an interior side wall of the connector body. Since both the interior side wall of the connector body according to the present invention and the saddle are substantially flat and in a substantially parallel relationship to one another, the flat, metallic or non-metallic sheathed, multi-conductor cable can be securely clamped therebetween; thereby avoiding the misalignment which would result if one attempted to secure a flat, metallic or non-metallic sheathed, multiconductor cable to an outlet box via the conventional three-piece cylindrical connector.
The present invention also provides many additional advantages which shall become apparent as described below.